The first is a $9.8 million award from the Office of Naval Research, which will engage a multi-disciplinary research team in the LSU College of Engineering and the LSU College of Science to create new solutions for naval operators, including technologies to improve the intelligence, autonomy and decision-making abilities of distributed networks of maritime intelligent autonomous systems, such as underwater robots.
“My administration is committed to the continued economic growth of our great state of Louisiana,” Governor Jeff Landry said. “Supporting our military, increasing port security, and supporting the offshore energy industry through projects like this will bring continued investment and high-earning jobs to the hardworking men and women of Louisiana.”
“With our proud military legacy and flagship mission, LSU continues to serve and protect Louisiana and the nation,” LSU President William F. Tate IV said. “We have world-class problem solvers in coastal science and engineering, cybersecurity, and energy, and we are excited to partner with Integer Technologies to put our research faculty and outstanding students and graduates in a position to support the US Navy in defense of our great nation, in a way that creates jobs right here in Louisiana.”
Integer’s headquarters in Columbia, South Carolina, is located less than a mile from the University of South Carolina, where LSU President William F. Tate IV previously served as Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. Integer’s pursuit of a research partnership with LSU is a testament to the success of LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda, launched by Tate in 2022, where coast, defense, and energy are three of the university’s top five research priorities.
“The entrepreneurial spirit and excitement I’ve felt from the LSU team since we began this partnership is contagious,” Integer CEO Duke Hartman said. “I couldn’t be more pleased to announce the opening of Integer’s new permanent office in Baton Rouge to work on this and other important national security projects with LSU. Together, we are building high-end technology research capacity that will become an asset to our national security customers in the areas of coast, defense, cyber, and energy over the next decade.”
Prior to announcing the Navy contract, Integer had already employed a Louisiana engineer and recently hired three more, including an LSU mechanical engineering graduate. The company is also relocating top talent from across the country to support its new office in the Digital Media Center on LSU’s flagship campus in Baton Rouge.
“We’re not just managing the program administratively; our scientists and engineers are actually doing applied research, tech development, and commercialization alongside our university partners—that’s why we need to be here,” Hartman said. “Some people think you can do everything remotely, and I disagree. We need to be at the source of talent, where many graduates want to stay, and where we can foster an intimate partnership with the LSU research team. Proximity is part of our secret sauce. Our goal at the end of every project is to have a technology prototype we can demonstrate, often in the ocean, for our national security customers, and we need a tight collaboration to make that happen.”
Integer’s facilities will be capable of doing secure US government work, with the potential for LSU student interns and faculty to participate. Integer and LSU have additional pending research proposals for cybersecurity, defense, and energy-related efforts.
